Archetypes
13 deck archetypes classified by play style. Each has favourable and unfavourable matchups — no single archetype is universally dominant. Click a row in the matchup matrix to highlight its wins and losses.
Matchup data reflects community observation — not official data. May be inaccurate or outdated.
Archetype Overview
Attacks on turn 1–2 with cheap, efficient attacks. Races to 3 points before the opponent sets up.
Stacks Poison, Sleep, or Burn to chip damage every turn. Wins by grinding down the opponent rather than hitting hard.
Relies on coin flips as a core mechanic — offensive flip attacks or forcing the opponent to flip before attacking. High variance.
Requires multiple cards to function at full power. Slow to set up, explosive at peak.
Bypasses the 1-energy-per-turn limit via acceleration abilities to power expensive attacks 1–2 turns early.
Chips bench Pokémon every turn via abilities, then forces weakened targets active for KOs.
Uses force-switches, hand disruption, and energy removal to dismantle the opponent's strategy. Wins by tempo, not damage.
Main attacker deals damage based on how many Pokémon are in play. Gets stronger as the board fills.
Built around Mega Pokémon (3 pts per KO). Slow to set up but threatens to win in a single OHKO.
Survives long enough to outlast the opponent using healing, high HP, and disruption.
Hits extremely hard but self-damages or has very low HP. Must win before dying.
Built around a support Pokémon ability (energy acceleration, bench chip damage, or draw) that enables the main attacker. Fast and highly consistent.
Built around a named-Pokémon or evolution-line trainer (Blaine, Cynthia, Nemona) whose bonus only applies to its partner. Achieves competitive damage through trainer synergy rather than raw stats.
Matchup Matrix
Click a row to highlight its matchups. W = favoured · L = unfavoured · · = neutral